The First Steering Committee Meeting of the Programme PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature Held

Overview of the progress in implementation and verification of the Joint UN Programme Documents were the key topics of the first Steering Committee Meeting of the Programme "PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature" organised on 8 September 2023, in Belgrade.

The importance of the Programme contribution to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, as well as to the public administration reform process and the Swiss Cooperation Programme with Serbia were emphasised in opening remarks by the Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Serbia Francoise Jacob and Assistant Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Mila Stanković, as well as the representative of the donor, National Programme Officer for Governance in Swiss Cooperation Office in Serbia Petar Vasilev.

During the meeting, the structures and roles and responsibilities of the Steering Committee, and the Joint Programme Team were presented. Also, the overview of the Programme in terms of the donor, funds, duration, geographical area, key national partners and participating UN organisations, key areas and types of support, as well as the main users of support were presented.

The progress in implementation with the overview of implemented and planned activities as well as budget for 2023 was presented through overview of the Inception period and the key activities in the three pillars - Good Governance, Social Inclusion, and Environmental Governance. The planning of the Programme output aimed at supporting enhancement of livelihood recovery of informal waste pickers, whose income is affected by the construction of regional recycling centres within the "Solid Waste Management" project which is co-financed by the EBRD and AFD, was discussed as well.

The meeting participants also included Steering Committee members from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Ministry of Environmental Protection, UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNEP, as well as representatives of the EBRD and SCTM as observing members.

The Programme “PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature” is jointly implemented by United Nations agencies in Serbia - UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNEP, in cooperation with the Serbian Government, and with financial support of the Government of Switzerland.